The Carolina Panthers hit the road for the first time in the 2025 preseason as they travel to Houston to face the Texans on Saturday, August 16 at 1:00 pm ET.
The two teams held a joint practice on Thursday, August 14 at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
Carolina enters the season led by second-year head coach Dave Canales. The Panthers finished the 2024 season with a 5-12 record, good for third in the NFC South.
Houston wrapped up the 2024 season with a 10-7 record, finishing first in the AFC South. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans enters his third season at the helm for the Texans. He carries a 20-14 record as their head coach, including a 2-2 record in the playoffs.
This will mark just the third preseason matchup between the two clubs, with the series tied 1-1. Saturday’s matchup will be the first preseason game between the Panthers and Texans in Houston.
The Matchup
About Carolina
- The Panthers fell to the Browns 30-10 in week one of the preseason. QBs Bryce Young, Andy Dalton and Jack Plummer combined to complete 23-of-35 passes (65.7 pct.) for 238 yards with one touchdown and one interception, out-gaining the Browns in the air. Young played the entire first quarter and completed 4-of-6 passes (66.7 pct.) for 58 yards with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker.
- Carolinas first round draft pick WR Tetairoa McMillan led both teams with 43 receiving yards (25.1 avg) in his home preseason debut and recorded the longest reception for 30 yards. WR Jimmy Horn Jr. led both teams in receptions, recording four catches for 15 yards (3.8 avg.).
- Second-year WR Jalen Coker snagged the Panther’s first touchdown of the preseason, securing a 5-yard pass from Young in the first quarter. Coker finished with two catches for 17 yards (8.5 avg.) with a long of 12 yards on a pass from Dalton in the second quarter.
- Rookie OLB Nic Scourton and second-year S Demani Richardson recorded their first sacks of their careers (regular and presea- son) against the Browns. Scourton took down Browns QB Shedeur Sanders for a loss of a yard on third-and-long in the second quarter and forced the. Browns to punt. Richardson also had a third-down sack, bringing down Sanders for a loss of 5 yards and forcing another Cleveland punt on fourth down.
- Undrafted rookie CB Corey Thornton finished tied for fourth on the team with three tackles (all solo). He added a tackle for a loss when he dropped WR Kaden Davis for a loss of 2 yards on a handoff. Thornton also recorded a pass defensed, breaking up a pass intended for WR Gage Larvadain to bring up third-and-long for Cleveland.
About Houston
- In the Texans first preseason contest, they fell to the Minnesota Vikings, 20-10. QB Davis Mills started the game and completed 4-of-5 passes for 50 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to WR Braxton Berrios. Defensively, the Texans recorded a pair of sacks.
- QB CJ Stroud, who was selected by the Houston Texans with the second overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, owns a regular season career record of 19-13 as the starting QB for Houston. Through his first two seasons, he has completed 336-of-532 passes for 7,835 yards, 43 touchdowns and a passer rating of 93.7.
- RB Joe Mixon finished the season with 245 rushes for 1,016 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, marking his fifth career 1,000-yard season, joining Derrick Henry as the only two active running backs to reach the mark in five-or-more seasons.
- WR Nico Collins finished the season with 68 receptions for 1,006 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, marking his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, joining Hall of Famer Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks as the only players in franchise history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
- DE Will Anderson Jr. finished the season with 11.0 sacks, the seventh-most in the AFC. Since entering the league in 2023, Anderson has recorded 18.0 sacks, the most by any player in his draft class.
- CB Derek Stingley Jr. (five) and teammate S Calen Bullock (five) finished the season tied for second in the AFC and sixth in the NFL in interceptions.
Connections
Panthers S Tre’von Moehrig (Spring Branch), OLB Nic Scourton (Bryan), QB Andy Dalton (Katy), CB Shemar Bartholomew (Houston), OLB Princely Umanmielen (Manor), G Robert Hunt (Jasper) and STC Tracy Smith (Beaumont) are all from Texas. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (2021-23) attended the University of Texas while QBs Will Harriger coached for the Longhorns in 2008. Harriger also coached at Texas Tech from 2010-11. Scourton (2024), S Demani Richardson (2019-23) and DT Bobby Brown III (2018-20) all played at Texas A&M, while CB JaTravis Broughton (2024), RB Emani Bailey (2022-23), Moehrig (2018-20) and QB Andy Dalton (2006-10) all played at TCU. OLs Joe Gilbert coached the offensive line at the University of Houston in 2008.
Texans WR Braxton Berrios (Raleigh) and RB British Brooks (Gastonia) are both from North Carolina. Brooks (2018-23) and S M.J. Stewart (2014-17) both played college football at UNC while G Laken Tomlinson attended Duke University (2010-14). aLBs Ben Bolling attended Knightdale (N.C.) High School and spent time on the coaching staff at Campbell University (2016-20). OA Mike Snyder spent time in various roles at Wingate (2012-14) and Coastal Carolina (2015-17).
Panthers vs Texans
All-Time Series (Preseason): Two matchups | Series tied 1-1
Last Preseason Game: 8/9/17: Houston 17 at Carolina 27
Preseason Series Record In Houston: No matchups
How to Watch
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET Queen City News: Play by Play – Anish Shrof; Analyst – Steve Smith; Sideline – Carla Metts
Radio: WRFX 99.7FM in Charlotte market – Play by Play – Jim Szoke; Analyst – Kurt Coleman; Analyst – Kevin Donnalley; Sideline – Sharon Thorsland
Per Release